Lapid says he doesn’t trust Netanyahu not to launch Iran strike that could disrupt elections

By Ariela Karmel

You will receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

You will no longer receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

Today, 8:29 pm

1 Edit

Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

B'Yachad party member Yair Lapid speaks at the “Law and Lies” conference on October 12, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/FLASH90)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says he does not trust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on security matters when asked whether the premier could launch a military strike against Iran that would lead to the postponement of the October 27 election.

“I trust the army, I trust the [IDF] chief of staff. I don’t trust Netanyahu on security matters. He cannot be trusted,” Lapid tells Channel 12 in an interview.

“There is no intelligence – and I am familiar with the most sensitive intelligence – that justifies preventing elections from taking place in Israel,” he says. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t attack Iran. But there is no intelligence justification for an attack on Iran that would disrupt the elections.”

Asked about the possibility of US President Donald Trump intervening in the Israeli election by endorsing Netanyahu or another candidate, Lapid says: “We are asking him not to interfere in Israel’s elections. We are a democracy. I don’t think an Israeli prime minister should interfere in elections in the United States, and I don’t think an American president should interfere in Israeli elections.”